Of Dragon Tamers and Company
by YourFaveCanadian
Summary: Charlie Weasley loves his job as a Tamer on the Reserve. The new opportunity emerges when one of his dragons gives him the research opportunity of a lifetime. From this, new friends and adventures will emerge giving Charlie the choice to continue on his current path or take some new opportunities. Charlie WeasleyxMaleOC
1. Chapter 1

Charlie Weasley was as happy as he could possibly be the day that he noticed Opi had laid eggs since she was a recent transfer from her being found roaming Australia. They speculated she had been pushed out of her own territory before the Reserve rescued her. So Charlie's supervisor, Duncan decided to put extra food out so that the Antipodean OpalEye would be distracted as Charlie snuck to the nest so he could check the eggs since similarly to snakes, sometimes their eggs were infertile and laid simply because they felt comfortable.

So, when Charlie inspected the six eggs. Each one he would wave his wand in front of chanting "Lucerna lumen." where the egg would light up to show what was inside. Similar to the muggle candling technique. At the final egg, Charlie could not believe his eyes and nearly took it with him without realizing it. He set it back down before rushing out of the enclosure to find Duncan. When he got to him, Charlie was bent over to catch his breath.

"What's got you excited, mate?"

"Two.." Charlie began before taking a deep breath. "The one egg has two embryos." Charlie was grinning ear to ear as Duncan took a moment to process this before his own eyes widened and he grinned. "Has this ever happened here, Duncan?"

"I think once but the dragonlings didn't make it." Duncan spoke as Charlie ran a hair through his hair; knowing he'd have to cut it before he visited his family. "It's rare."

Charlie immediately felt a call to action as he started spewing out ideas to Duncan on what to do. Duncan laughed at his enthusiasm.

"Charlie that all sounds great. We'll need to get approved by the board and finances. How about you go talk to finances and at the board meeting tomorrow I'll talk with them more."

"Why do we need to go to finances separately?"

"Our finances guy helps a lot behind the scenes; giving him notice could be the sway in tomorrow's meeting." Charlie nodded.

"Okay I'll go at end of shift." Charlie spoke as he thought about the idea of adding six more dragons into the reserve. He finished the rest of his shift, enjoying the early shifts where he finished in early afternoon as he made his way to the small office building. It was a stone two-storey tall cabin sat beside the medical/break cabin. All the cabins had the same build and structure. The rest were for the experienced and long term employees instead of the common dormitory where newer recruits were. Charlie kept track of this, knowing that once another pair of tamers left, he would get his cabin.

Charlie pushed open the door to the Office, admiring the carved wooden sign next to the door as he wiped his boots off on the door mat. He walked in and looked around. Atanas, the office administrator, sat at her desk organizing some paperwork that was on the right side with a staircase near it. The left side was open with a small kitchen, washroom and meeting table that Charlie was familiar with since whenever in there, he sat there. Charlie could count the different reasons for being in there on one hand before now. His hiring paperwork, promotion to senior tamer from Duncan and Atanas, quarterly mandatory training assessments and organization of research notes from their day to day interactions with dragons.

"Good afternoon, Atanas." Charlie called out in Romanian with a smile, as she looked up at him.

"Hello Charlie. I see your accent is still terrible." she kidded with him in English, noting her own thick accent, as Charlie laughed.

"Slowly getting better." He spoke in English, before looking around. "I'm looking to talk with finances?"

He felt out of place since Atanas was in business casual, attire compared to Charlie's working clothes of jeans and a plaid shirt.

"Just up ze stairs." Atanas spoke. "He's English too." she added as Charlie started walking up the stairs, his boots thudding with each step. The door at the top was open as he stepped in. There was a little sitting area with soft chairs and a coffee table to the left of him. On the wall of that size was a small counter and cupboard with mugs hanging under the cupboard. To the right side, was bookcases and filing cabinets. At the very back and centre of the room, was a desk facing towards the door. A man was sitting there, writing.

The man was young, Charlie noticed which surprised him. He was a lithe body, with dark hair combed to the side with a singular curl falling over his forehead and pale skin. The man held up his hand in a "just a moment" mannerism as he continued his scribbles. "Feel free to sit down over there." he spoke pointing to the chairs.

Charlie walked over as he took a seat at the chair facing the desk. On the coffee table was some pens, and papers and a vase of flowers similar to the types Arthur would buy Molly on her anniversary. He waited a few moments before hearing.

"What may I help you with Mr. Weasley?"

"Call me Charlie." The young man asked as Charlie paused, surprised that the man knew him. Thankfully, there was a nameplate on the desk that Charlie spotted. Orion Lest. It was a name that reminded Charlie of someone from Hogwarts but it could just be from seeing it in the paperwork. Orion sat down across from him with a notepad and pen in hand.

"Alright, feel free to call me Orion. After all, we are coworkers. So what brings you here?"

"Well, we just discovered that one of the eggs we have for the Antipodean Opaleye has twins in it. I know we recently rescued her, but to have a successful twin birth would be bloody amazing. There's no documented cases of twin dragons being born as far as Duncan knew, especially in Reserves. He sent me to ask about potential room for more funding towards the treatment to ensure we are doing all we can. Duncan wants to talk with the board tomorrow about it."

Orion nodded along to the conversation while listening, Orion's hands were clasped together until Charlie finished his rant on how important the Antipodean Opaleye is and began detailing the dragon itself to Orion.

"Yes I know the species. Naturally from New Zealand but occasionally in Australia due to territory restrictions. Prefers valleys and considered one of the most beautiful of dragons due to their pearly scales, and pupiless eyes that are multicoloured and glittery. The eggs are pale grey and typically eat sheep." Orion stated factually off the top of his head.

"So you understand how important this actually is then." Charlie spoke as Orion started jotting things down. He was getting excited because everything appeared to be looking up for this.

"I will definitely look into this since it does seem like something to invest in for the sake of research; however I cannot promise anything so you know Charlie. We do in our policies have the ability for extra funding for births but I'm not sure if it is already being used or if we have anything in place for cases like this since it seems like it may require additional funds beyond the normal scope of a dragonling due to the preparations and attendance of the egg."

Charlie felt annoyed by this response as he looked over to Orion, trying to figure out if Orion realized the importance of the situation. He couldn't help but let out an annoyed sigh. Orion seemed to expect this, which in hindsight was likely.

"Please realize as much I would like to actually just supply you with the funds for this, its not that simple." Orion spoke calmly. "I'll have to talk with the supervisors, the board, write a financial proposal to justify our spending, then do fundraising to ensure other programs don't suffer. This all must be reported to the government and translated." Orion added before he put his hand up to stop Charlie from interrupting him. "We can't just wave our wands and instantly have money. I will say I can try to give this a great priority though. When's the hatch expected to be?"

"About two months."

"Okay, I'll try to get the decision by early next week." Orion spoke in a sense of finality; before asking. "If needed, I may require your assistance for the fundraising?"

Charlie nodded as Orion stood up and escorted Charlie to the door. "In that case, have a good day Charlie and I hope to bring you good information soon."

Charlie left down the stairs while he was trying to not let the annoyance of this slight derailment ruin the rest of his day as he headed back towards his dorm. They were all in small rooms containing a bed, desk and dresser with a tiny room with a toilet, sink and mirror. There was a communal kitchen, recreation room and showers on each floor. It was a decent layout to hang with the other tamers after work and bond but Charlie could see the appeal of his own little cabin. Especially since the other tamers would come down like hawks when he cooked his mom's recipes and meant he could never have leftovers.

Charlie grabbed his mail on the way up to his dorm, pleased to have mail. He got inside to his room and shut the door, kicking off his boots, before tearing open the first one. It was from his mother. It was the usual recap of what was going on with his family. Ron had lost Scabbers apparently and Ginny was doing far better this school year. Percy was enjoying his last year of school as a Head Boy. Fred and George were up to trouble as usual with their pranks but Charlie enjoyed hearing about it since he knew his mother wanted to make sure the family were kept well into the loop. Dad was working on some new muggle thing that Molly had no clue about. She also added a recipe of pot pie for him with her loopy script.

Some of the other letters were from his friends and then one from Bill talking about how things were going in Egypt but did miss the giant family. Charlie could understand where Bill was coming from, but still preferred working with the dragons over anything else currently.

Charlie kept himself busy as he waited to hear back from Orion about anything. When Duncan talked to him about the board meeting, he made a face that worried Charlie since some of the members were hesitant about the risk versus the reward. Charlie was currently monitoring the mother dragon, that was nicknamed Opi by those who were the most gracious donators. As he hauled the sheep into the enclosure, he noticed someone well dressed looking in. Charlie realized it was Orion there wearing a button up shirt, cardigan and dress pants. Charlie rolled his eyes at this since the man stood out like a sore thumb here at least and Charlie supposed Orion came from his office.

Charlie finished hauling the sheep he was carrying in and where Opi would come to get it before he headed out of the enclosure. Double checking the wards were up before walking over to Orion, pulling out a cloth from his back pocket and wiping off his hands. "What can I do for you Orion?"

Orion smiled at Charlie as they shook hands. "Well, I have good news for you. We have a set amount of money already from the board and government for this. It took a bit of convincing but I was able to find some notes from another enclosure about their attempt to care for a twin egg. In the end it wasn't successful due to an accident where a different magical creature that they didn't realize was in the enclosure stole the egg to eat." Orion seemed to have something on his mind as Charlie waited for the other shoe to drop.

"But…?" Charlie asked, a bit hesitant, as Orion grinned to him.

"We're having an upcoming gala. It's an annual one for something I do not remember, and I truly think if you come with me to talk about Opi, we would be able to at least double the money currently available."

Charlie raised a brow. "How would I be of use?"

"Well one, you're the expert on these dragons from what I've heard around the enclosure. Two, it always helps to have dragon tamers all dressed up to really give our donators a face to the workers. Gives them all excitement to be around someone who lives 'adventurously'. Three, to be honest, a lot of our fundraisers are affluent families with quite bored housewives that would enjoy drooling over you since you are relatively handsome." Orion bluntly put as Charlie laughed.

"Okay, those are some good reasons." Charlie reasoned. 'When is it?"

"This Friday evening, and from what I've seen you work early that day and are off Saturday. I already have a portkey set up, and if needed, I can provide you with dress robes." Orion spoke as Charlie nodded.

"Sounds good. I can bring what I have to see if it works."

"Brilliant; meet me at my office for 6:30 pm Friday then. If you can, please make sure to shower after work. " Orion spoke as Charlie waited until Orion was far enough away for fist pumping. He was on top of the world since things were looking up for the twin egg and being called handsome helped his mood. Charlie continued doing his work to bring in a few more sheep before alerting Opi of her dinner with a small spell. He got out the enclosure as he watched her eat from the outside.

"Opi, I'm going to do everything I can to make sure your twins get here safely."


	2. Chapter 2

Charlie came to the office precisely at 6:30pm on Friday evening his dress robes in a box. They were ones his mother had given him from a second hand shop for his seventeenth birthday for events like this and honestly, they were not that pleasant but bearable. They were a muddy brown color with the shirt far too wavy for his liking. He wore the pants and undershirt over.

The moment he walked into the Office, Charlie began putting on the rest of the dress robes only to hear. "No, just no." Turning to the stairs, he saw Orion eye Charlie up and down. "Come upstairs." Orion commanded as Charlie sighed and followed carrying the brown robes in the box.

Orion was in pristine black dress robes; with a white shirt. It was perfectly tailored for the man as Charlie arrived in the office. There was a suit draped over the chair as Orion grabbed it. The robe, pants and vest were dark grey with a black shirt and silver tie. Honestly, it was gorgeous and Charlie was hesitant to even touch it.

Orion offered it to Charlie before adding. "I've charmed it to be what I estimated was your size; and when its on I can charm it to fit better when it is on you. So go on, get changed. Your shoes will be perfect for this though."

Orion shut the door and turned around facing away from Charlie who took a moment to change before calling over. "What do you think?"

Orion seemed pleased, before fixing a few things: the length of the legs, shrinking the shirt a bit, and straightening the tie. "Perfect. Now hide that other one in the back of your closet." Orion spoke as he patted Charlie's chest before stepping away. "So, any questions?"

"Yes, should I be worried about the housewives?" Charlie questioned as he fiddled with his hands. "Someone told me I should be."

"No, they'll probably flirt and tease you." Orion began before adding. "Just don't try to sneak away with any of them since I will not cover you when a husband hexes you." Orion spoke flatly.

"Was that a thing that happened?"

"You wouldn't believe the amount of times it has." Orion groaned at this while rolling his eyes. "The most ridiculous was a tamer who had knocked up the daughter of one of the donators from a chance encounter before he came and found out there...while also meeting her parents."

Charlie let out a large groan of secondhand embarrassment. "What happened?"

"The two talked and ended up started dating again; had a little girl and now are expected to get married with him working in the Ministry's division for Protection of Magical Creatures." Orion spoke before he checked his pocket watch. "Alright, we should head down. Atanas and her husband are going to meet us downstairs to portkey."

Charlie nodded as he headed down the stairs. He saw Atanas and her husband waiting for them. Atanas' husband worked in the nearby town, creating clothing pieces from shedded dragon scales and skin. Mostly gloves. Him requesting a partnership had actually been how the two met, Orion explained as the pair walked down the stairs.

Atanas smiled at the pair as they all grabbed onto the random pool floatie that was on the table. Charlie felt a tug in his stomach as they teleported to the gala. Charlie let out a low whistle as he looked around the entranceway. This was the kind of place his mother always dreamed about visiting with polished marble floors, large chandeliers and golden decorations.

Orion guided into the ballroom as Charlie's eyes widened to the size of saucers. He felt out of place as he stuck near Orion. With a smile, Orion grabbed two drinks from a passing waiter as he offered one to Charlie.

"We can take our time before socializing so you can adjust Charlie." Orion spoke as he guided Charlie to a more reclusive corner. "I think if you can handle being Head Boy, you'll be fine here." Orion's tone was far more casual than his work tone, even his posture was a bit more relaxed while they were alone.

"I thought I recognized you from Hogwarts." Charlie spoke, not adding that he sent a description and name to his friend that actually created a yearbook club; which could be purchased by the students. Charlie had been given one, but it was in the attic at home.

"We ran in different circles, but we were the same year." Orion added with a small smile. "You were a fantastic Quidditch captain back in the day from what I heard, but wasn't going to say that while being a Slytherin." Orion teased. "Not that houses matter too much to most people now."

Charlie took a sip before nodding. "Agreed. So, what got you into the financials at the Dragon Reserve?"

Orion paused for a moment, genuinely thinking of his answer.

"I've always loved dragons but was far more suited for an office or research job than physical. I realized in sixth year I wanted to get away from Britain and live independently. I got a job with a friend's uncle in Scotland doing the inventory and accounting for a Potions store. This friend's uncle was poker buddies with the old financial administrator. Guy wanted to retire and hated who had applied for the position since they all wanted the formal title and smooshing at stuff like this, apparently. He offered for me to try it out since he knew I loved dragons and would do the Reserve right. To be honest, I drunkenly asked him once if I could apprentice under him; even if it just covered my housing and food beforehand since I just wanted to be near dragons so badly."

Charlie smiled at this, as he sipped at his drink. "That's great you got this opportunity. Personally, I got lucky with Mr. Kettleburn writing to the Reserve to recommend me for the job."  
Orion laughed as he looked at Charlie as Charlie continued."He actually retired this year. Wanted to spend time with his remaining limb and such. He's come a few times to the sanctuary." When Charlie seemed calm, Orion began leading him over to start chatting as Charlie noticed the proper posture and work voice returned. Almost immediately a pair of woman came over.

"Bonjour Madame Laurent." Orion spoke as he bowed to her and the woman beside her as he grabbed her hand to kiss the back of it before kissing Madame Laurent's hand. "And bonjour to you as well."

"This is my friend Millie Geroux. And Orion, please call me Lambia." Orion laughed at her as he smiled to her. Orion had smoothly transitioned from his casual conversation with Charlie back into something similar to how he was when Charlie met him properly last week.

"I just wanted to give you all the respect a beautiful woman such as yourself deserves, Lambia. Pardon my rudeness. This is my coworker, Charlie Weasley. He's a brilliant tamer in the Romania Dragon Reserve." The woman turned to Charlie as they batted their eyelashes.

"Orion, you brought a handsome one this time." Lambia noticed as she held out her hand. Charlie followed Orion's lead and kissed the back of her hand.

"This is a lovely gala.." Charlie spoke as he smiled to the two.

"It really is, so tell me what exactly you do as a tamer, Charlie." Millie spoke as Charlie lit up.

"I care for the wellbeing of all of our rescues from food to given them their ideal living conditions." The woman seemed a tad bored, as if they heard this same line many times as Orion nudged him.

"Why don't you inform them about Opi?"

This seemed to interest the women, as Charlie smiled." I take care of this beautiful dragon with white scales, and this eyes that are one of the most beautiful things I have seen." Charlie started

"Although I believe that you both could be considered in that list as well." Orion added as the women flushed.

Seeing the women were engaged, Charlie leaned close as if telling a secret. "In fact, she just laid eggs and we were gifted with a rare twin."

Orion was beaming as he looked to the women as Millie put her hand on her chest. "How delightful."

"It's so rare, that whoever donates would be helping make history." Orion leaned forward as he tilted his head. "Mind you; I saw you had made the news recently for your gorgeous dress at the Ministry function, Lambia. Aphrodite would be envious of you." Orion added as Lambia lightly smacked his arm.

"Honestly Orion, I could just eat you up." Lambia teased before looking at her friend. "Millie, this is the man I told you about. Orion always livens up the galas he comes to and if I could, I'd take him to the nearest room."

"Oh shush, your husband is here."

"Psh, for a boy like that, I'd get off his case about his assistant." Lambia spoke as Millie giggled.

Charlie and Orion just stood there, with Charlie unsure what to say as Millie added. "Oh please. Charlie seems to have the rugged gentleman going on. You know what they say about that type." Millie and Lambia giggled as they saw Charlie start going red as his hair.

"Ladies, you'll scare him away if you keep eyeing him up like meat." Orion teased before winking at them. "I'm still teaching him the ropes."

Lambia laughed as the two women heard the song coming to an end. "Well it was a delight Orion, but I think I need to find my husband for a dance." Lambia leaned close as she grabbed his hand. "But expect a cheque in the next few days from him. Can't leave your dear tamer with a poor impression of us."

Orion pulled her hand up to kiss her hand as he smiled. "There's no way I could properly thank you for this Lambia."

"You can thank me by coming straight to me if your preferences ever change or you get curious." The two women left as Charlie let out a deep breath, processing the information.

"That was different than I expected." Charlie finally mustered as Orion laughed.

"You did good. Especially for your first conversation here." Orion took both of their empty glasses and set it on a passing tray with a thank you. "Honestly, the first few conversations are the hardest. People like to gossip so they'll be telling each other and bragging about how much they plan on donating and their friends get competitive."

Charlie nodded as he thought it over. "Good to know." Orion patted Charlie's shoulder before glancing over.

"Hope you're ready for the next conversation."

-

By the time that Charlie and Orion returned back from the gala, both were well on the way to smashed. Charlie, however, was far past than Orion. Atanas and her husband laughed at the two as they excused themselves from the office. Orion took the lead, guiding Charlie to head back to the dormitory. Although, he stopped at his place since Charlie needed to sit down. He unlocked the door and sat Charlie on his couch before fetching him water.

"Thanks mate." Charlie spoke, as Orion sat beside him.

"No worries. It was the least I could do for you coming tonight."

"It was a lot of fun; 'though I was confused why so many of the women were saying it was a shame about you." Charlie spoke as he waved his hands. "Did you make a policy of not dating them or something?"

Orion pursed his lips, trying to think of his answer before thinking it was safe. "No, it's more that I fancy guys is all."

Charlie took a minute before he smiled. "That's great mate. So when you said I was handsome; it was genuine. Not just a bloke being a good friend."

Orion burst into laughter at Charlie. "That's one way to take the conversation."

"Hey coming from a handsome bloke like you; it made my day. And it clears up why the one kept insisting you should meet her nephew."

Charlie and Orion continued talking in their drunk rambles for a bit about the ridiculousness about the gala from the characters they met to the conversations that were held. The conversation was going smoothly as Charlie decided to ask. "Hey, could I kiss you? I've always wondered what it's like to kiss a guy. I don't want to push my luck but you are pretty handsome." Orion seemed taken aback by this before shrugging.

"Why the heck not." Orion spoke as he turned to Charlie. The ginger leaned over and put his hand on the back of Orion's neck to steady himself. Both of their breaths had the smell of alcohol as Charlie pressed his lips against Orion's.

Charlie felt how soft they were as he moved his lips against Orion's. His other hand that was on the couch moved to Orion's waist as he felt two hands on his neck. Charlie tilted his head to deepen the kiss, going purely on his urges and instincts. Orion nipped on Charlie's lip, as Charlie immediately let out a groan as he licked his tongue against Orion's lips as Orion opened up. Charlie slipped his tongue into Orion's mouth and explored it before biting Orion's lower lip and sucking on it as he pulled away. "Bloody hell." Charlie spoke as he grinned.

"Bloody hell good?" Orion questioned as he pulled his hands away.

"Yes. You're a good kisser." Charlie spoke as he tried to not yawn but it was clear how tired he was.

Orion laughed as he stood up. "Okay, time for bed for you I think." Orion spoke as he walked Charlie back to the dormitory, mostly to make sure Charlie did not sleep in a bush instead. As Charlie opened his door, he grinned back to Orion.

"Well this was a lovely night, and once again you're a great kisser."

Orion laughed before waving at Charlie and waiting to leave only once the door was closed.

-

Charlie was feeling terrible the next day, his hangover rampant as he laid in bed. He was trying to find motivation to first and foremost get a hangover potion he kept in his tiny bathroom. As he laid in his bed, Charlie thought about what he had accomplished in the previous night at the event as his stomach dropped. He kissed Orion, it wasn't that he was upset at that but how rude was it of him to ask Orion if he could kiss him purely because Orion was interested in men?

Rubbing his eyes, Charlie decided to get up and get that potion into him. He wanted to immediately apologize for that shenanigan he did while drunk last night and the best way to do that was through a plate of hangover pancakes. Charlie went to the bathroom as he splashed his face, and drank the potion before going about getting ready in comfortable clothing. He glanced at the time, and Charlie hoped that Orion would be awake as he went to the communal kitchen and began cooking. By the time that Charlie had finished, he had a large stack, nearly a foot tall, as he charmed the plate so they wouldn't spill and would stay warm. He grabbed the butter, syrup and jam into a bag before heading out of the place.

Charlie headed to the door before realizing that Orion may be sleeping in on the day. Deciding it was worth the risk, Charlie knocked onto the front door. The curtains for the window on the door was closed shut but he saw the shadow of a figure appear there before the door bolted open.

"Yeah?" a tired sounding voice said while suppressing a yawn as Charlie looked down at Orion. His hair was a complete mess of curls going everywhere as he rubbed the sleep out of his eye as he noticed a pair of glasses in his other hand. "Charlie?"

"Sorry if I woke you," Charlie began as he awkwardly smiled, the one that one may make when embarrassed if someone was an awkward person. "I wanted to thank you for helping me home last night and apologize for being an idiot last night with pancakes."

Orion nodded as he opened the door for Charlie to come in as he processed the words. "Wait, when were you an idiot?" Orion questioned as he put on his glasses while leading Charlie to the table, walking past it to grab dishes.

Charlie set the pancakes down and pulled things out of his bag as Orion put on the kettle. "Yeah, I woke up and realized that I should not have asked to kiss you out of pure curiosity. That could be seen as me kind of using you, which wasn't my intentions."

Orion shrugged as he looked at Charlie. " You were honest about your intentions and I consented." Orion defended before sighing. "Like if you hadn't spoken your intentions I may be mad about it but I can honestly say that I'm not." As the kettle began to whistle, Orion smiled. "Mind you, I'd still enjoy some pancakes."

Charlie let out a sigh of relief as he sat down. "Okay, I just realized i could have offended you last night and did not want to be an arse and not fess up to my mistake."

"Well thank you for thinking of me." Orion before pouring one cup of tea. "Would you like a cup?"

"Please." Orion poured the second cup before bringing the mugs over and grabbing the milk from his fridge, the sugar already on the table.

Orion sat down as he looked at the pancakes. "These look fantastic."

"My mum makes them better, but I think I'm a close second." Charlie spoke as as he watched Orion load a few onto his plates.

"In that case, I'll have to meet your mum." Orion kidded before coating them in butter and syrup. "I'm lucky if I can make toast in the morning." Charlie took his own few, choosing the syrup as well before fixing up his tea.

"So," Charlie asked before taking a large bite of his pancakes and swallowing them. "Tell me more about yourself that I may not already know. Favourite childhood thing, class, or even Quidditch team."

Orion paused as he thought for a moment. "As a kid I fell in love with dragons; so much so that my mother gave me books upon books about them and even gave me this old dragon claw that was a family heirloom." Orion spoke before continuing. "Uhm…Divinations was my favourite school course but I had to leave it in fifth year to focus on more a career in the Ministry and I've never really listened to Quidditch much to be honest. When we went it was more of being seen there than enjoying the event. What about you?"

"Favourite thing from my childhood would actually be this muggle toy I got called a "Yo-yo." It's really simple to use but so much fun. Some friends that know more about the muggle world told me you could actually do tricks with them. I loved Care of Magical Creatures and would go sneak away on my free evenings to talk with Hagrid and care for some of creatures on the grounds. For Quidditch, it'd definitely be the Chudley Cannons with my youngest brother Ron. They'll get back to winning soon enough."

Orion raised a brow. "Youngest brother? How many siblings do you have?"

"Well, I have my older brother Bill, then there's Percy, then the twins Fred and George- right ol' troublemakers they are, followed by Ron and then my sister Ginny." Charlie spoke as he smiled. "We're a proud lot of gingers, we are."

Orion laughed at this nearly choking on a piece of pancake before nodding. "So big family I see."

"Yeah, what about you?"

Orion shook his head. "No, my parents never had any other kids. I was close with my cousin when I lived with my Aunt and Uncle growing up though. He's seven years younger than me."

Charlie nodded before grabbing a few more pancakes Orion laughed. "You always this hungry or is this from after drinking?"

"Usual." Charlie spoke before gulping down the bite he was working on. "But working here has helped me to work it off." he teased as he finished off his pancakes.

Orion had finished his few, sipping on his tea as he watched Charlie. "So, do you normally get up this early on your day off?"

"Depends on the day, but usually earlier, yeah. I'm used to getting up bright and early with my shift and dragons. Especially since when I started, I took most of the On-Calls to get as many shifts as I could for experience."

"I don't know how you do it." Orion groaned as he looked over his glasses. "If you didn't bring food with you, I'd have simply shut the door on your face and gone back to bed to be honest."

Charlie laughed as he finished his tea. "Well, how about I get out of your hair and you can go back to sleep?"

Orion pondered it for a moment before agreeing. "Alright. Well thank you again for coming yesterday and bringing food today. Once again you did not offend me." Orion walked Charlie to the door as he smiled. "It was loads of fun."

-

Charlie was working hard mid week as he wiped his brow of the sweat. It may be cool; but from all of the running around, Charlie felt warm. He was nearly done and was about to head towards the break room so he could log his notes when Charlie saw Orion walking over. He was holding a leather notebook and seemed out of place in the area with his button up shirt and cardigan and dress pants.

Charlie waved at him as he walked over. "Orion, what's up?"

Orion smiled as he opened the notebook. "Well, we're still getting some last minute donators but so far we've got around 20,000 Galleons."

Charlie let out a low whistle as he thought about the number. That was a lot of galleons; an amount that Charlie hadn't even seen.

"A lot of them came with notes." Orion mused as he raised a brow. "It appears a lot of our funders loved you. Especially the ones that brought children. One said and I quote "That new man was delightful; between Orion and Mr. Weasley, it felt they really cared about us as people not purely investors."" Orion shut the notebook as he smiled. "I suppose this could be the big brother in you but it was fantastic. The reception that Atanas got back has people wanting to know about Opi. Even a few magazines have been asking for information."

Charlie was floored by this as he started walking to the cabins. "That is amazing. So, would I write notes and Atanas or you would use them in an interview?"

"No," Orion began as he started talking more delicately. "I was thinking since you are taking lead on this, it should be you."

"Me? I'm just-" Orion held up a hand.

"You are a successful tamer that literally charmed and got us nearly double our normal amount from a gala hunt. I dont think you've noticed this, but Charlie you have such an engaging personality that draws people in." Orion stated as Charlie flushed. He was kind of happy to hear that since he knew that as a Weasley, it created a lot of times he was grouped in wtih the rest.

"That's kind of you." Charlie spoke as the pair arrived to the cabins. "Well, I need to write my day's notes out." he spoke nudging towards the cabin beside Orion's office.

"Okay," Orion spoke with a smile before he looked down and laughed. "Also if you want to hang out again sometime, more casually that'd be fun i think."

"Definitely!" Charlie spoke as he nodded. "I'll visit you sometime and we can figure this out."

Orion turned to his office before heading out leaving the Weasley to try and focus on his notes but in reality the man's head were in the clouds.

At around 7pm, Charlie decided to grab his wizarding chess board and portable radio to head towards Orion's in hopes he was free.

The lights were on as Charlie knocked on the door. Someone called out saying it was open as Charlie walked in. "Hey, I wanted to see if you were interested in a round of chess?"

Orion smiled as he put some stuff in the fridge. "Sounds good. Feel free to set up while I put my leftovers away." Orion came over as Charlie noticed that the usually proper man was once again in sweats and a pullover and his glasses. Charlie enjoyed it since it seemed like a private moment that he got to be apart of.

Orion sat across from him, taking the black pieces as he left Charlie to the right. Charlie also had the radio playing the Quidditch match as Charlie first moved one of his pawns. Although he had been expecting a calm relaxing match or two, Charlie was surprised how intense the pair got into this. Honestly, Charlie could not understand the strategy that Orion was going through but it seemed to be working well enough for him. Charlie had 5 pieces left, and Orion had 3.

Orion was leaning close to the board as Charlie moved his queen. Charlie had a smirk on his face as Orion realized that Charlie was going to win as he let out a deep breath and moved his piece on a long shot to get his King away from the Queen, but forgot about the Knight. He leaned back on the couch as Charlie's Knight destroyed his Queen.

Smiling, Charlie waved his wand as the pieces reset themselves back to their original state. "Good match, 'Rion." Charlie spoke as he grinned up. "To be honest, I never knew your strategy."

"I didn't really have a strategy to be honest." Orion spoke as he ran a hand through his dark hair. "I used to just go on the attack but that ended matches quick so I was trying more defensive."

Charlie laughed at this as he started cleaning up the board. "Well it worked. If you ever want to learn strategy, I can try to teach you."

"Maybe." Orion spoke as he stretched and saw the clock. "Although, I think you may want to head to bed since you work early."

Charlie glanced back as he clued in. Usually he'd be in bed by now as the sleepiness began to hit him as Charlie nodded. "Good call." Orion stood up to walk towards the door as Charlie held onto his radio and closed up chessboard.

As Charlie began putting on his shoes, he turned to Orion who stood beside him. Orion was just a bit shorter than him as he stared down. "You know this would be fun to do again." Charlie spoke as he looked at the man looking down at him. He was confused as his instincts were to lean down and press his lips against Orion's but Charlie ignored that.

"Sounds good," Orion spoke as he smiled up at Charlie. "Have a good night, Charlie."

"You too." Charlie spoke as he walked out of the cabin and back to his dorm. He went through the motions of going to bed as Charlie started thinking about why he would possibly think of Orion in that light. It wasn't like he was interested in relationships much.


	3. Chapter 3

**So I had most of this written between two different chapters and just decided that I realized that they could go well together. I want to get this rolling since I have a lot of plans for this starting now (in Prisoner of Azkaban) until the end of the book series (and maybe even into Cursed Child). I know this fic is probably not too popular but I appreciate every reader while I write this.**

Charlie found himself getting distracted more and more by his own mind whenever he didn't have anything specific to focus on. They were a variety of thoughts, but they all were around Orion. Mainly, it was about how he wanted to hang out with him- whether it was playing cards, cooking meals together for the week or even simply sitting to read near one another. When these thoughts occurred, he needed to resist the urge to let his mind wander further. If he did, memories of soft lips would come and lead him to wonder more about those lips, and hands that were far nicer than Charlie's own calloused and worn hands. Charlie told himself it was because it had been awhile since he had been intimate with anyone; but that was something he never cared on too heavily. He had plenty of friends and family that he kept in contact with and Charlie knew how much his family and friends cared for him. With this, Charlie never really saw much need to date because it was too tedious; and uninteresting. There was other things; mainly dragons; to spend his time with instead.

That morning, as he was rubbing down one of the smaller dragons to help with some of the scales that were trying to be shed, Charlie thought about why Orion was so interesting. The man was typically straightforward with his thoughts and desires; willing to try new things like card games or listen to Quidditch; yet was secretive. Charlie barely knew any information about Orion other than he went to Hogwarts, was a Slytherin, slept far into the day when possible, needed his glasses more than he'd admit- Charlie honestly thought that Orion thought he looked better without them, was quite interested in Muggles but was embarrassed asking the questions or admitting it; and was not too creative when it came to cooking unless pressured to make more than just boiled pasta with a basic premade sauce.

"Charlie!" a man called out as Charlie scratched under the dragon's chin to calm it as he glanced back.

"Yeah?"

"Got a mandatory meeting. Administration Cabin in 15 minutes." Charlie heard as he gave a thumbs up and decided he could come back to finish this in a bit; although the dragon seemed annoyed they weren't getting attention still, as Charlie walk slowly to the Cabin.

When Charlie arrived, he could see the tamers all sitting around the table, with extra chairs crammed in - trying to squeeze everyone in. The healer and administrative staff were tucked in, and at the head of the table was the director. Some people ended up having to stand alongside the wall so that the entire team could squeeze inside. They hadn't had to cram everyone in a room since the holidays and that was a rented out restaurant but forgot just how many people had brought people.

Charlie noticed Orion was by himself with a fair amount of space around him on a wall; as if everyone was afraid of him, as Charlie stood beside him since it would be better than bumping elbows the entire time.

"Any clue what this is about?" Charlie whispered quietly as Orion gave a shrug; his arms crossed as he stared forward. Charlie noticed that Orion's glasses were hanging on the collar of his sweater, so he had been working before then and hadn't had bothered hiding them.

"No but it must be something important." Orion whispered, as he nudged his head to the Director. "Rare to get him here. Took us two months to get him for the annual meeting. We try to have it on the same day... "

The Director called everyone to attention, almost immediately, with the supervisors standing around him. He was a portly man, with dark balding hair and and a large nose that always wore high quality suits, even to inspect the dragons. He was lucky that his shoes were charmed, or else they'd be ruined.

"Now, I know some of you may have already heard but for the first time in history someone has escaped the British prison, Azkaban." Chatter swarmed around them as Orion remained silent. Charlie could see from the corner of his eye that Orion had clenched his jaw and tensed his shoulders.

"It was the notorious Sirius Black." the director spoke as he raised his voice. "Now we do not expect him to come hiding here; however, there was rumors of him being spotted so we must for the safety of the Reserve discuss this in case he thinks about coming here to steal a dragon. For the time being, no one else is allowed to enter the property. Everyone must be approved to come and go on the property, which is the policy that we have been quite lax on lately. Even you guys heading to town, although we will send a notice to let you know of an arranged night to let you lot out and do errands for sake of convenience. If you see anything suspicious you send up an orange spark into the sky to alert the rest of the reserve for lockdown procedures. Do not engage unless you are forced to. Do I make myself clear? It has been a few weeks and the British Ministry still has no possible idea where he may be, which if you ask me is ridiculous."

"That's them Brits for you, keeping sloppy work and making the rest of us have deal with their mess, ain't that right, Ned?" A trainer piped up as the one beside that trainer shoved his shoulder. Everyone agreed with what management said with minimal questions, as Charlie looked over to see that although Orion had relaxed his shoulders, his jaw was still clenched tightly.

From then on, the Director began to talk about minor issues while he had everyone there, ones that would be brought up in routine staff meetings such as clean the food out from the cabin, shower regularly, and most importantly to ensure that your notes were legible. When dismissed, Orion stayed where he was as the tamers departed since his office was upstairs. Charlie walked outside, mostly to get out of the crowded area, but hung around until the rest were gone. Charlie walked up to Orion's office as he saw the man pulling out some sheets from a filing cabinet as he knocked on the doorframe.

"Charlie, is there something I can do for you?" Orion questioned as he set the pages down on his desk.

"I was more just checking on you to be honest." Charlie spoke as he looked at Orion. "You just seemed tense at the meeting."

Orion shrugged it off. "Just surprised about someone actually breaking out of Azkaban. You'd think that would be impossible from somewhere so secure. Let alone Sirius Black- did you know he wasn't even given a trial after they captured him."

"That's quite understandable." Charlie said, knowing it was the right thing to say and leave it at. However, Charlie knew Orion and could tell something was still pestering him but it wasn't the right time to ask- Orion clearly didn't want to. "If it is still bugging you later, we can talk about it, okay? Figure out the kilometres away the prison is and stuff." Orion gave him a small smile as Charlie waved and headed out back to his station to work.

Later that night, many of the men were talking in a common room as Charlie walked by.

"To think someone actually got out of there."

"I think it is just mainly you Brits that are surprised. The rest of us figured it'd happen eventually. Kind of difficult to have something be completely safe. There is almost always a way to break out; if you think about it the right way. Especially since you only employ them Dementors to watch over them."

"Aren't you the optimist?" a third man spoke as the second answered.

"I just mean, you can prepare all you want but stuff will happen. Look at the States with the dragon escape two months ago. They were sure that it wouldn't happen but it did."

Charlie heard enough from the conversation for his interest as he headed back to his room and began to go through his mail. He got a reply from his brother as Charlie tore it open with his teeth, knowing he probably shouldn't have, before opening his door and stepping in.

 _ **Charlie,**_

 _ **You're telling me that someone actually got you dressed up and socializing for work purposes? I need photos for that to believe it; although it'd be better if you were in the robes mum got you. Those look just smashing. Actually, I should write to your friend to drag you to the next event close to Egypt and crash it.**_

 _ **Things have been going okay here. You know Egypt, everything is gorgeous and I rarely have the time to be bored with all the cursed objects that are around. However, some of my good friends and coworkers changed locations so they're far away now and I've been a bit lonely as of late. The loneliness made me realize that this job has a high moving rate. Don't tell any of the family yet, especially mum, but I was considering applying to some of the Cursebreaker positions around Britain. It'd be closer to the family- at least within a nice distance to apparate. I'm hesitant since I love, Egypt, you saw how amazing it was a month ago.**_

 _ **I love my job and want to still continue doing it, I really do. But I miss the simple things. Like mum's cooking or the general weather; like sitting with a good book. I'm going to sit on this for a while just in case it's a fleeting thought though from having the entire family visiting me for awhile.**_

 _ **So, you mentioned that coworker, Orion, a lot in this last letter. Is he a new tamer since I haven't heard much about him before. I am assuming you've become good friends since you've last wrote. He was the one that lent you the robe, yeah?**_

 _ **Looking forward to hearing from you soon.**_

 _ **Bill**_

Charlie laughed as he read the letter before thinking. Was Orion his friend? Charlie would consider it. He had a lot of thoughts about this, so he decided he would simply write everything out first and then decide if he would actually send it to his older brother or not.

 **Bill,**

 **Well, whatever you decide to do, the family has your back. (Although we both know our mum enough to know that she'll try to bribe you with food). Just make sure whatever you are doing, you are happy, since I know that is the same kind of support you have given me when I pursued dragons.**

 **Orion is a coworker, yeah, but not a tamer. He does the finances for the Reserve. I never really knew him since I didn't deal with that side much. As for robes, he didn't lend me them, he GAVE me them. Honestly Bill, these are beautiful robes. He's from Hogwarts too, my year but I don't remember him; mind you it was quite busy at school and he was a Slytherin.**

 **So I kind of want to talk to you about something but I don't know exactly how. This will be rambling. So, Orion likes guys, which is something I am completely cool with. But I got drunk with him at the party, and I drunkenly kissed him- like I asked him if i could. I apologized the next morning but since then I keep thinking of him. I want to say it as a sort of friendly way, but this isn't like that. It also is different than when I've liked girls before. Whenever I did, I knew and it was simple without worrying. This has just been something I've been overthinking. I have no idea what though.**

 **Maybe it is just from the loneliness; like you said with having the family around, and that I've missed having someone to care for me. I have plenty of friends here at the Reserve, and around too so I don't know. Like the guy is guarded, especially around others or working. When he's off work, hanging out with me, he's got reading glasses on and sweats. He's sarcastic and honest. Where at work, he's primp and proper with his hair styled and clothing just right. He's straight to the point and keeps his emotions in check.**

 **I just feel so happy he shares these kinds of things with me. This makes me keep doubting myself since maybe I am just excited that I'm this close friend to him and can see him relaxed instead of actually interested in him?**

 **Sorry for throwing this on you Bill, but I guess you are the only person I can really talk to about any of this. Maybe chatting this over will help me figure this out more.**

 **Charlie XX**

Charlie was hesitant about the letter, as he took in a deep breath before tossing the letter into a marked envelope. He knew that he wanted to talk with Bill about this and if he didn't just send the letter now, it would never be sent and he'd be left completely alone to his thoughts. Immediately, he walked out of his room and towards the owlery.  
 **  
**With every passing day that the reply letter hadn't arrived, made Charlie more nervous. It was a tough subject for any brother to hear and Bill was trying to give Charlie the best answer possible for this situation. Also, Bill sometimes would get so invested in work that he forgot to respond. Instead of waiting for the letter, Charlie distracted himself by monitoring the Opal Eye more carefully. What surprised him, was to see Orion in the area. He was dressed to his usual formalness, but with large clunky work boots that seemed off for the dark haired boy.

When Charlie walked quietly up behind Orion as he noticed that Orion was currently taking some photos with an older model of a muggle camera- he figured it was likely enchanted.

"What's the photos for?"

Orion jumped a bit in fright, tensing as he relaxed upon taking note of who was behind him. "Oh, some of the sponsors were hoping to see what our Soon to Be Momma looked like. I figured we could choose the best photos and put them in with the regular newsletters."

Charlie raised a brow, he had never heard about that before. He knew there were research journals but not a newsletter. "Newsletters?"

"It's a bit new… Each month I write a newsletter based off the notes on the dragons to give to our donors an update as a small way to say that we appreciate their donations and that they are being put to use. Of course, it is merely safe information to disclose. Like the dragon being pregnant, gaining weight, acting silly."

"Wow, that sounds like a bit of work to do each month. 'Specially as the finances person." he knew about all the different dragons they had as Charlie let out a low whistle thinking just about how many notes there was in a typical month.

"It is, but I don't mind. It helps us show a set level of reliability to our donors. I'll probably work on it tomorrow afternoon and evening." Charlie knew that the next day was a Saturday and Orion was normally off. Before he could even think, Charlie was already speaking.

"As soon as I am done shift I'll come over and help." When his brain decided to work, he added. 'You know…. If that is cool with you? I just figured I could be a good friend and help you out since that seems like the kind of tedious stuff having company helps with."

Orion seemed to weigh the options, his brow furrowing for a moment as he eventually nodded. "Only if you are okay with that, you don't need to give up your free time."

" 'Course I am. I wouldn't have offered otherwise. We can make a day of it. Put on the radio, maybe the game. I can cook some food and we can get this all done." Charlie offered, already mapping out his plan in his mind for what to do. Orion was shaking his head.

"I can't ask you to cook...You're would already be helping me-"

"Good thing I am offering, not being asked. Need the excuse to practice mum's recipes. So 2pm?"

"Sure." Orion spoke softly as Charlie grinned. He was excited for this since it meant giving him something to do with Orion while having something to still chat. He was ecstatic to hang out while helping Orion out. Charlie was planning on making enough food to last a few days anyways, so he had the ingredients available and anything else was probably at Orion's.

The following day at work went by quickly, although Charlie would admit he was a bit distracted through the day, which led to a nasty burn on his forearm since he didn't give the small dragon the proper focus he should have and that one was particularly narcissistic. After it was bandaged and he finished his work, Charlie immediately headed over to the little cottage that Orion had, running to get out of the rain.

Instead of knocking, Charlie opened the door and poked his head in. " 'Rion?" He called out as he saw the man at the table turn his head, he looked liked he was still in his pajamas and hair was left to its messy curls. Charlie felt a sense of pride for seeing this.

"Come on in Charlie." Orion spoke as he organized the table a bit as Charlie took off his raincoat, boots, and headed towards the kitchen placing stuff in the fridge. When Charlie sat at the table, Orion immediately eyed his arm.

"What happened?"

"Oh just a little burn is all. Wasn't given the dragon enough attention." Charlie explained as he started looking at the notes. He saw that Orion had a copy of Mika's notes with a red question mark on the corner. "It's fine. How about i start by translating Mika's notes, he's been doing a lot of interesting stuff with the horntails but doesn't think to actually write legibly."

"Sure." Orion spoke as Charlie began to write beside it. His writing quite legible in comparison to Mika's which was rushed and always bullet points. Glancing over, Charlie noticed that Orion's handwriting was quite lovely. It was cursive with elegant loops. Charlie couldn't help but stare for a moment too long before focusing back at his notes.

There was a comfortable silence for a bit until Orion pushed back on his chair with a sigh.

"How about a break for food?" Orion suggested. "Popped corn maybe?"

Charlie heard Orion as he laughed. "I brought food to cook, remember, no need for _popcorn_."

Charlie stood up before going to the fridge. "I made some stew last night and figured it'd be good. Just needs reheating."

"That sounds great." Orion spoke as he stood up to get a pot out. "I think I have a loaf of bread to go with it." he offered, walking over to his counter where a breadbox was tucked on the corner. He pulled out a homemade looking loaf before walking to get a pot.

"You a baker?"

"I wish, I am not good at that I'm afraid. This is from town." Orion laughed as Charlie took the stew and put it in the pot he was offered.

"It isn't that hard; a lot of people make it seem like a luxury but you can do a lot with little ingredients." Charlie had seen his mother make miracles out of a little time and flour with a few other ingredients.

"Once again I think you're just showing me how much better suited to being an adult than I am. I didn't even cook once until I was sixteen and I ended up starting a small fire. " Orion spoke, his voice seemed monotoned at first but Charlie soon realized he was teasing by the small smirk on his face. Flushing a bit, Charlie laughed and focused on turning on the stove.

"Well you'll be blown away by how great this stew is then."

"Looking forward to it."

The two worked around one another as Orion got the dishes and butter out for the bread as Charlie was determined to reheat the stew without burning it or the pot. They seemed to be quite high end; similar to the ones his mum always was going on about in the catalogs or paper that she dreamed of. They didn't have the marking to seem they were used much; but Orion may have charmed them to stay clean; although Charlie figured it was a mix of both.

"Everything okay Charlie?" Orion asked when he watched his friend.

"Oh yeah, just admiring your pots." Charlie laughed as he yawned a bit.

Without needing to ask, Orion waved his wand as the kettle filled itself at the sink and started heating itself on one of the burners. Charlie soon dished out the stew as he smiled at the cups of tea floating towards the table. Orion had cleared all the work away as they sat at the table and ate, it was a quiet meal only with discussion about work things here and there.

Orion had just finished when he looked at Charlie. "You know, I needed this."

"Oh?"

"I was terrified of who got out of Azkaban."

Charlie gave him a small smile, everyone was nervous is what he wanted to say when he realized _why_ the man was so nervous. He was a gay man and judging by his words; he had family in there. Charlie figured that Orion had family that would not be pleased with him being openly gay.

"Is that newsletter due soon?"

"No, we have plenty of time."

"Good; get up. We're doing something else." Charlie spoke with a devious grin as he pulled a bag out of his other stuff. "Honestly, I brought this in case we got done early but obviously a better distraction is needed."

Charlie made a beeline for his cupboards and started pulling things out as Orion raised an eyebrow. "What do you have in mind, Charlie?"

"Baking." Charlie spoke as he continued pulling things out and set them on the counter.

"I don't know how to bake." Orion spoke as he crossed his arms and watched Charlie move. He seemed comfortable in the kitchen.

Charlie turned to look at Orion as he gestured for him to come closer. Orion debated for a moment before walking to Charlie as he started helping pull out the dishes. "Lead the way, ginge." Orion teased, his tone coming out as partially false as he relaxed his shoulders and tried to calm down.

Charlie moved around Orion, helping measure some of the ingredients. "Okay Orion, now stir that to blend the sugar and butter for a creamy mixture." Charlie spoke as he leaned closer to Orion, watching as Orion stirred the mixture slowly as Charlie then added the vanilla and egg into the bowl.

Charlie smiled as he looked satisfied as he nudged Orion's hip with his own. "Okay, now it is time to add the dry ingredients." Charlie had laid them out in a line nearby to make it easier.

"Which one first?"

"Blend them together in a bowl first for an even spread." Charlie offered as he held the dry mix bowl and leaned so his head was beside Orion's head as he stood behind Orion. Understanding this closeness, Orion felt himself flushing as he bit his lip and focused on the batter. Charlie poured it in as Orion tried to carefully stir it. He leaned his back against Charlie's chest, testing the field. It seemed that Charlie was okay with it as Orion relaxed. This was okay.

Orion continued stirring as the blended dry ingredients folded into a cookie dough as Orion lifted the spoon and swiped a bit of dough off of it. He sucked on his finger, enjoying the taste of the dough as Orion lifted his spoon to Charlie's mouth. "This dough is great. Try it."

Orion watched as Charlie ate the dough from the corner of his eye, having to turn his head more to catch sight of it.

"Perfect." Charlie spoke as Orion heard the sputtering out the word as Orion turned around, his chest pressing against Charlie's.

"You good?" Orion asked as he tilted his head and look up. Charlie was red in the face as he looked down at Orion, opening and closing his mouth for a moment. Orion was unsure what exactly was going on in the moment as his arms stayed by his side. "Sorry-" Orion began to speak thinking that it was due to the closeness but was interrupted.

Charlie pressed his lips against Orion's, the sudden shift pushing Orion's back to the counter. Orion paused for his mind to catch up with it as he pressed his lips back, tentatively resting his hand on Charlie's stomach. The kiss was rather tender until he felt Charlie gave a small swipe of his tongue on Orion's bottom lip.

With hesitation out the window, Orion tilted his head and deepened the kiss. His hands clung onto Charlie's hip as he felt the warm and rough hands on the side of his neck. The cookie dough and baking was forgotten about as Orion pulled his mouth from Charlie's gasping for air before proceeding to kiss down the jawline, before finding an ideal spot on the side of Charlie's neck to suck on the skin. When satisfied, Orion licked the spot as he heard a groan from Charlie.

As Orion lifted his head up, Charlie kissed Orion once more, with his hands moving to hoist Orion up and onto the counter for better access as they continued the kissing. Both eventually needed air as they pulled away reluctantly.

"O-okay." Orion spoke as he adjusted his glasses from their crookedness as he looked at Charlie. It was a statement rather than a question, which was good since Charlie seemed confused but also happy.

"I… yeah?" Charlie spoke with his mind going a million miles an hour. Realizing he hadn't properly explained- Charlie took a deep breath. "I've been thinking about that for a while." he finally muttered as Orion smiled.

"Really I thought you were… ya know."

"Honestly, I don't know but I like the idea of kissing you." Charlie offered as an explanation as he pulled away. "Probably should have waited until I get my thoughts figured out more."

"Well, why don't we bake these cookies and finish the newsletter?" Orion offered with a smile. He didn't want Charlie to know but the idea of him testing the sexuality stung a bit, but he supposed getting a piece of happiness even for a little while was nice.


	4. Chapter 4

**Have you ever been writing and want to jump ahead but know you cannot? That was my issue. I was writing stuff for books 4 and 5 in snippets and neglecting this. This is shorter than I've been aiming for chapters but I wanted to give you guys something.**

Orion and Charlie laid with one another on Orion's bed as they were talking quietly.

"I'm terrible at relationships Char. Honestly, I think you'd be better finding someone else. I don't know how to be a couple."

"Well, I never asked that of you." Charlie offered, leaning up kissing Orion who was laying beside him but leaning over Charlie. "Just being around you and snogging is good in my books."

"Are you proposing that we keep things casual? That seems… unlike what I'd have expected out of you. "

"Yeah. We're young and it seems neither of us actually are set on being super into the whole couples but clearly liking being with one another. So… it could just be us hanging out or snogging when we feel like it. As long as you don't mind that I'm still questioning on exactly what I am." Charlie pressed his lips on Orion's jaw and trailed them down as Orion sighed happily.

"That sounds reasonable."

Charlie smirked as he used his weight to his advantage to flip the two so Orion was pressed into his bed. Charlie was glad that Orion was so chill about being casual since a relationship was complicated. The biggest complaint he got was that he wasn't attentive enough due to his other focuses and seemed to like dragons more than his partner. Honestly, he could say that was completely true. With a casual friends with benefits thing meant they could do what they wanted together while still having their indepence and lives outside of one another.

The two continued snogging for a while, taking it a bit slower than Orion normally would have but that was to let Charlie adjust since being intimate with a male was a bit out of his scope of experience… but he was interested in potentially learning. Eventually the pair nodded off on the bed since it was late. Neither set an alarm since they were off.

However, through the night, Charlie could feel Orion tossing a bit and leaving the bed for periods of time. He didn't want to question it right away, so he noted it for later and tried his best to sleep. In the early morning, just as the sun was cracking through the window, Charlie noticed that Orion seemed to find sleep easier, which made him relax some about it. Perhaps Orion was just adjusting to another body in his bed.

A few hours after Orion finally seemed to get to sleep, Charlie tossed his arm around Orion's waist, pressing close as he nuzzled into the back of Orion's neck.

"Mhm." Orion groaned out, clearly not entirely pleased with being awoken but adjusting a bit. "Yeah?"

"I'm going to head out, got errands to run."

" 'Kay." Orion spoke as he opened his eyes a small bit to look at Charlie as he leaned over to press his lips on Charlie's. It was tempting to stay there, but Charlie figured Orion would much rather sleep so he pulled away.

"Let me know if you want to hang out later." Charlie offered before he finally willed himself off of the bed, it was nice to be in a bed larger than the twin he was provided in his housing.

He headed out to his room to grab the essentials and change before going to get his groceries. It was a nice day in the small village nearby and he he took his time, even treating himself to some chocolate.

The next week followed in this pattern as Charlie would come over to do even the most mundane of things like writing the mass of letters for his family. Orion seemed interested in this as he came over to where Charlie was spread about the table.

"So, you've told me how old your siblings but what are they like?" Orion asked as he sat across from Charlie, cupping a cup of tea in his hand before setting it down.

"There's Bill who's the oldest. He's a CurseBreaker in Egypt. Very sociable and loves his hair- mum flipped when she saw how long it was getting. Then below me is Percy, he's very booky and ambitious but sometimes is a bit too black and white on what's right, but he means well. He's actually Head Boy this year. Then we got the twins, Fred and George- they love pranking people and won't admit it but are good at Charms; like they've made so many new spells that no one knows yet. After the twins, is Ron- he's bloody amazing at chess, and cares fiercely for his friends. Finally, there's Ginny. She's always been great at holding her own; is competitive and probably going to be on the school Quidditch team."

"I see, so all your younger siblings are at Hogwarts now?"

"Yeah. Percy's in 7th year, the twins in 5th year, Ron is in 3rd year and Gin's in 2nd year."

"Ron's the same age as my cousin then."

"The one you grew up with, right?" Charlie asked as he leaned back, Orion had yet to mention any of his family before. The boy was fiddling with his cup, which Charlie was starting to see was a tell of his.

"My cousin goes to Hogwarts… I haven't actually spoken to him since like 1989? What with you know…"

"Do you not talk with your family any more?"

Orion gave a shrug. "It's complicated but I'm not exactly welcomed at home."

Charlie made a face as he noted that if he were to go home that Christmas, he'd be offering to Orion to come along. "Well, I'm sorry to hear that but just know you're always welcome to join mine. Dad's used to just suddenly having another child."

Orion chuckled at this as Charlie leaned back. "Honestly though, you're always welcomed to my place."

"I appreciate it." As a show of sincerity, Orion gave Charlie's hand a small squeeze. "Although I feel it'd be only kind to give your mother enough warning with that."

"She'd be getting you to teach us all manners the minute she meets you." Charlie retorted as Orion chuckled from the thought.

"If they're anything like you… I'm bloody fucked."

"Oi!" Charlie laughed as he smacked Orion's arm lightly. "I'll have you know I can be a wonderful gentlemen."

-  
Charlie was asked to come to Orion's office right for nine am and he knew it was something involving business. After all, Orion liked to be quite professional. He would never waste work hours like that. When he walked into the office, he noticed that Orion was already waiting at the small waiting area with cups of tea and Duncan.

"Oh, I didn't know you'd be here Duncan." Charlie muttered, wishing he knew so he could have walked in with him.

"Last minute thing to be honest."

Charlie took the seat across from Orion as he saw the tea was already prepared just as he liked it. Smiling he took a sip. "Thanks mate." he would not admit it but the September air was starting to get a bit of a chill that he knew meant for a rough winter.

"So, Charlie. I have news about the project we were talking about for Opi and the egg." Orion's posture was perfect as he continued speaking his voice giving away nothing. "It has been decided that you have been approved for additional funding. The other eggs will be given the normal range of funding to upkeep; but the double embryo egg will be given the same funding as a typical nest."

A typical nest of dragon eggs were about five to six at their Reserve, and he knew that it was a great amount of finances since that took in the wages, charms, potions, food and other miscellaneous fees. "This is however with some conditions."

Duncan decided to step in. "In the meantime, you and myself will be the two leads to care for the dragon's nest. You are to keep explicitly clear notes about every single thing you do around that egg. We also will be preparing for a story that will be going into the December reports to the Ministry and a few will also be asked to write an academic journal on how we successfully accomplished this, and what the steps would be for other areas… or if we did not accomplish it what theories you have to succeed next time."

Duncan was reading notes it seemed off of his pad, which was dirty from being taken everywhere in his sack, as Orion gave a small cough to butt in. "There's also the matter that you will be asked to attend every gala event for the rest of this year. It is only about six, but you will be paid for these times with expenses such as clothes covered up to 200 galleons this year."

Charlie's eyes bulged. "200 galleons? Mate, I could literally buy over…" He took a moment to think. "Over 43 SETS of robes for Hogwarts for that much."

Orion smiled as he looked at Charlie. "You do know that on average we spend 100 galleons per tamer, per year to ensure their equipment is up to date. I will admit it is a lot, but it is the quality. We must present a professional image to the donors so they assume our worth as very high, and this is clothing that we expect to last you for a while, and that you will likely stay for at least the next five to ten years, so it will pay off to give you this extra expense now." Orion also shrugged, which showed more of the casual side for that brief moment. "Besides, Hogwarts robes aren't made to last as many people think. After all, students grow and have to buy new uniforms constantly."

"Okay, I guess that is true." Charlie offered as he took another drink out of his tea cup. "Is there anything else?"

"Just we need to book regular meetings to go over the finances you've used each week, okay?"

Charlie nodded. "Sounds good, why don't we do Friday afternoons?"

"Perfect. Duncan will go over the rest with you since it is his sections."

"Right, thanks Orion." Duncan offered as Orion stood up as he went to his desk. "Feel free to use that area still, I just should start some other things over here."

Charlie and Duncan gave noises of agreement as they started talking over who was talking over Charlie's other dragons, and the new hours that would be done. Duncan and Charlie decided that Charlie would work during the early hours of 4 am to 1pm. It would be around 3 hours of checking Opi, an hour worth of breaks, and then 4 hours of research or writing unless he had meetings. She didn't need overnight care or watch yet until the eggs were closer to hatching. Most of the time would be research and writing down notes if Charlie were honest, after all it was a creature capable of living independently that was brought here for her safety.

By the time they were done the meeting, Charlie was keen on getting started but also knew tomorrow was the first day of change so he was to just go home and relax before adjusting to the new hours. He let Duncan leave the office before looking over at Orion and down the stairs. No one was coming as he rushed over to Orion and kissed him. "Mate, thank you."

Orion took a moment as he chuckled and looked at him. "Any time."


	5. Chapter 5

Charlie felt crammed on the twin sized bed in the dorm, he hated to admit it but he was getting used to and preferred Orion's double bed since he could stretch out more. Being hungover just made this entirely worse for him as he let out a groan as he tried to talk himself into getting up. It was still early in the morning- far too soon for his body to want to get up, but he forced himself up and out of his bed so he could work on his notes even though he craved the idea of going back to sleep. He got himself a glass of water to go with the bitter hangover potion before showering while the potion was to take effect.

By the time that he got to the general building, he was feeling far better as if he had not drank that night. Someone had already been in it seemed since there was brewed coffee and the tea kettle was full and kept warm at a perfect temperature for green tea. Charlie fixed himself a cup of black tea as he stationed himself in the break/medical cabinet. His notes were spread out on the table as he got to work. There would be occasional some of his peers walking in for coffee or just stopping in as Charlie gave them a small nod. He knew the ones he was with the day before were likely feeling just as awful as he had earlier in the day- but he hoped they also were feeling better than before they took the hangover potion.

As Charlie finished his first cup of tea, he was starting to feel lively and more productive as he went to get a second cup. He had the urge for a cup of that blueberry white tea Orion had him try earlier that week as Charlie decided to dig around the cupboards in hopes of finding some. After a good few minutes of rummaging around, Charlie felt like he was shit ouf of luck to find it there as Charlie pursed his lips. He knew that it was likely in Orion's place but he didn't want to just help himself into Orion's house for tea. Glancing to the clock, he realized it was around 9 am and Orion should be in the office now and probably kept the same stock of tea there. It was also a good opportunity to bring Orion the notes he had for the upcoming month's update as he collected the pages and went next door.

Atanas was at her desk when he came in but seemed to be very busy with her work writing out a letter in a rush. He didn't wait to greet her as he headed up the stairs since it would only take a couple minutes. What surprised him was the door was shut and he could hear voices inside.

"Just one more time to confirm-"

"I am positive. As I've told you, I have not spoken to ANY of them since 1989 so why would he contact ME? He hated my mother and I barely remember him. Did you want me to take some veritaserum to prove this?"

"We're covering all bases." the deep voice spoke as Charlie knew it was a stranger and the person was making Orion uncomfortable. Knowing Orion could use a friend, Charlie knocked on the door as he waited for it to open. Orion opened it with his neutral expression before realized it was Charlie as he raised his eyebrow and opened the door fully.

"Charlie, what are you doing here?"

To respond, Charlie held up the notes. "I came up to bring these to you and discuss next month's report. I hope this isn't a bad time?"

"No, of course not. I believe Mr. Moody was just leaving."

"Moody? Like Alastor Moody?" Charlie spoke with his voice intrigued as he looked over to the man sitting at the desk. He was definitely aged and worn looking. He had his false eye that was doing whatever it pleased and prosthetic leg. His appearance was one he recognized from the few times Charlie had been with his dad at the Ministry. "It's a pleasure Auror Moody. My dad's told me a lot about you. Nice to meet you, I'm Charlie Weasley."

Charlie was smiling as he walked over to shake his hand. Mad Eye seemed interested in Charlie as he stood up, hobbling over as he gave Charlie a quick handshake. "It's a long way away for a Weasley, isn't it?"

"No, we're getting quite global. Bill's in Egypt now." Charlie smiled as he glanced between the two. "Is everything okay? Strange to have a British Auror here in Bulgaria?"

"I'm just investigating a case and wanted to talk with Mr. Les- Orion here if he had any leads to help." Charlie couldn't help but notice that Orion sent a glare at Mad Eye when he began to speak his name- it was a look Charlie had never seen before from him but Charlie shrugged it off. It was already clear Orion was uncomfortable and he didn't know what entirely was going on and if he were honest made it more mysterious to him.

"Orion, if you have anything you know how to contact me."

"Of course." Orion offered as he crossed his arms before leading Mad Eye to the door. "Make sure to travel back safely."

The two were silent as they listened for Mad Eye to get down the entire steps before Orion shut his door. Charlie looked at Orion, concern in his eyes.

"Everything okay?"

"Yes," Orion offered with a roll of his eyes. "Just an estranged cousin causing problems for the British Ministry." his tone was very closed off and clearly meant that he did not want to talk about it as Charlie moved to set the notes down on Orion's desk.

"Well, if you need to talk about it- I'm here for you."

"There's nothing to talk about, but thank you." Orion moved to sit on one of his comfier chairs. "Was there anything else you needed?"

"I just wanted to come over and say hi to you while I steal some tea." Orion paused, not expecting this as he let out half of a chuckle.

"Well, help yourself and grab some extra while you're here." Orion offered as he let out a sigh and relaxed more in his chair. "I'm hoping the game went well yesterday?"

"There were some hiccups throughout but the game itself was decent. We won by 10 points."

"Hiccups?" Orion asked, his interest clearly peaked.

"Just some of the comments that were made that. Like," Charlie began as he sat on the couch next to Orion's chair. "Like, they said for the one player to get the dick out of his hands and stuff."

Orion didn't seemed phased as Charlie raised a brow. "Why doesn't this surprise you?"

Orion pursed his lips. "I'm afraid that kind of thing is common. Did they direct anything at you?"

Charlie shook his head before he stopped as he looked at Orion. "Have you ever had these kind of comments before?"

"Yeah." Orion admitted after a moment. "It was quite bad in my last year of Hogwarts and at my last job. I'd be called most names in the book, had things thrown at me and the like."

"That's awful."

"It's a society norm at the moment. I just protect myself while being open to who I am and shrug off the microaggressions." Orion was quite blunt about it as Charlie looked like his dragon was kicked.

"This shouldn't be how it is. "

"I know but it is. The muggle world is quite the same: although I hear they're starting to protest but we've always been ahead of them."

Orion looked at Charlie as he gave him a small smile and leaned over to cup his hands. "It's a lot to take in, but just know the men here may make these comments but I don't think they're bad people; just following societal norms." Orion walked over and put a hand on Charlie's shoulder. "We can discuss it later but you shouldn't dwell on it."

Orion watched Charlie eventually headed out as his expression of neutrality dropped off as he waved his wand to shut the door. His mind was racing crazily as he thought over his meeting with Mad Eye.

Orion had been sitting at his desk working quite focused in to get things done and tire himself out to sleep. He had come in just after 2 in the morning to work but he could immediately tell that he'd be there all day doing work. He had been on his third cup of a strong cup of tea when he heard Atanas downstairs. Most days they tended to simply yell to one another instead of charming a note. The pair would also speak purely in Romanian in private since it was easier for Atanas.

"Orion you have a guest coming to talk." Orion was curious by this since there was no expected meetings anytime soon and the tamers never cared much for manners.

"Send them up please." He shouted back in Romanian as he waved his wand so the confidential documents went away and the cabinets locked up. The tea kettle also began to fill itself and heat up. There were uneven steps up the stairs that were completely unfamiliar to him as he stood up, eyes glued to the door with his hand in his pocket firmly grasped around his wand should he need to use it.

When the man appeared in the doorway, Orion could immediately feel a headache forming. Wherever Mad Eye Moody showed up, trouble was destined to follow. It had been quite a few years since he last saw the man. He seemed more worn with age but Orion knew he was likely still sharp.

"Please shut the door." Orion spoke to him as he went over to his seat once more. "Would you like a cup of tea?"

"No, thank you." Mad Eye spoke as Orion nodded as Mad Eye sat down across from him. The kettle eventually floated over and refilled his own cup.

He pulled out his notepad as Orion waited to see if he needed to write anything down of significance.

Mad Eye seemed to take that as a cue to break the silence. "I must say, it was interesting to find out that in such a peaceful time, you were hiding out, Mr. Lestrange."

Orion tensed as he heard Mad Eye call his name as he looked up, glaring at Mad Eye as he growled out. "Do not call me that. It is Orion Lest. You calling me _that_ nullifies the point of altering my last name if you use it."

 __"You're avoiding my main point."

"Both of us know that _this_ is not going to last forever. He'll be back." Orion spoke as he looked down at his notebook.

"You must be thrilled at that."

Orion scoffed. "Hardly." Orion crossed his arms. "Are you simply here to judge my character?"

"No, actually. I just know that apples don't fall far from the tree." Mad Eye looked at him with a challenging look. "And I remember how dangerous that tree is."

"Well, if you aren't here to speculate my loyalty and where it falls, then please get back to what you actually came here for. I am at work and would like to get back to my job."

"Actually part of this is knowing how close you've been to your family as of late. Especially your connections to your cousin, Sirius Black."

"He is a cousin on my mother's side who I met briefly as a child a few times between 1973 and 1975, but I have no memories of our interactions since i was a literal baby. That's all." Orion spoke plainly.

"So, you have no idea where he could be now or where he could possibly be hiding?"

"No, and to be frank, I don't want to know either. He's a criminal according to the legal system."

"Interesting phrasing there." Mad Eye commented.

"I wasn't involved in his life; so I can't be certain especially since he was sentenced without a trial. All I know about him in this, as I told you and the other aurors last time you interviewed me, I never saw him at any meetings they had I was privy to."

Orion made a point to glance down at his arms, drawing Mad Eye to the fact that his forearms were not covered by his shirt and quite bare of all markings. "I remember, I was there after all. But while we are talking… I was curious on the rumours I heard about you."

"Oh?"

"None of your classmates could say that they've heard or even seen you since your graduations. Any Slytherins said you threw them away in sixth year and isolated yourself." Mad Eye shrugged as he leaned forward. "A strange thing to do if you want to recruit people."

"That's because I never wanted to recruit anyone."

"Well-"

"No." Orion snapped, interrupted. "I am telling you this and want it on the record, WITHOUT my location on it. I am not involved in any of this. None."

Mad Eye seemed to get what he wanted in terms of reactions as Mad Eye smiled at him. "I just thought as a Momma's Boy, you'd do whatever she'd tell you to. After all, you were pretty involved then."

"I was a seven year old child who only knew that as my life. It was our normal. My mother was my only friend until my cousin Draco was born! You cannot base me on how I was then." Orion looked at him with a gleam in his eye. "This is the most unprofessional Ministry interview and I have to wonder how truthful you're being right now Mad Eye."

"Oh?"

"You're a member of Dumbledore's little Order. I know this, in fact Sirius was ALSO a member." Orion's hands were flailing as he continued. "You knew that man better than I could ever so why would you consider that he'd talk with me? His dreaded cousin's son?! He wouldn't trust me. Honestly, either you've gotten an ulterior motive or you're finally losing your mind after all these years. So, ask what you actually want to and get it over with."

Mad Eye seemed pleased as this as he relaxed in his chair. "Dumbledore wanted to check in with you since he noticed you've ignored his mail. He seems to think that you'd make a good ally for us."

"He's mistaken. Just because I am not with them, doesn't mean I want to be a part of your team."

"Well-" Mad Eye began as he looked at Orion. His expression and demeanour changed as he spoke. "Just one more time to confirm-"

Orion looked at him as if he grew a second head. The fact that Mad Eye was like this made Orion frustrated; he just wanted to finish this conversation. "I am positive. As I've told you, I have not spoken to ANY of them since 1989 so why would he contact ME? He hated my mother and I barely remember him. Did you want me to take some veritaserum to prove this?"

"We're covering all bases." There was suddenly a knock on the door as Charlie knew immediately that Mad Eye was aware someone had been coming up. Orion got up to get the door as he opened it carefully. He was surprised to see CHarlie on the other side of the door as it opened it more before stepping away from the door.

"Charlie, what are you doing here?"

Charlie held up his notes with a bit of a soft smile. "I came up to bring these to you and discuss next month's report. I hope this isn't a bad time?"

"No, of course not. I believe Mr. Moody was just leaving."

"Moody? Like Alastor Moody?" Charlie sounded intrigued as he looked past Orion to the man sitting at the desk. With no one looking at him, Orion rolled his eyes at this. He was hoping Mad Eye would simply leave no issue but it seemed that Charlie wanted to chat.

"It's a pleasure Auror Moody. My dad's told me a lot about you. Nice to meet you, I'm Charlie Weasley."

Charlie looked starstruck as he shook Mad Eye's hand and even stood up,

"It's a long way away for a Weasley, isn't it?"

"No, we're getting quite global. Bill's in Egypt now." Charlie smiled as he glanced between the two. "Is everything okay? Strange to have a British Auror here in Bulgaria?"

"I'm just investigating a case and wanted to talk with Mr. Les-" Orion gave Mad Eye a warning glare as the man continued. "Orion here if he had any leads to help."

Mad Eye turned to look at Orion. "Orion, if you have anything you know how to contact me."

"Of course." Orion offered as he crossed his arms before leading Mad Eye to the door. "Make sure to travel back safely."

 **Thank you for all your patience with this newest chapter, I am excited for this. I promise there will be more explanations and answers in further chapters about the plot point but I am sure a lot of you could have guessed this was coming. I've had this planned for awhile so I am glad to finally include it. I also want to include more of Orion's perspective and this was a huge delay in why i couldn't write them as much.**


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